


The Art of Altruism

by alvahana



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series
Genre: Blood and Injury, Family Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:01:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27696649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alvahana/pseuds/alvahana
Summary: Four times Morgana witnessed Akira having no self-preservation over his own well-being, and one time he finally learned to put himself first.A snippet ensemble about a cat looking out for a boy and their relationship.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 163





	1. Slumber

“Can’t you do this another time?”

“No, Morgana,” said Akira as he typed on his phone. “I just got Takemi-sensei’s text. She wants me to stop by today.”

“But we just came back from Mementos,” Morgana protested, his upper body perched on his usual spot on Akira’s aching shoulder, thanks to their earlier adventure in the Metaverse. “And you’ve been busy all weeks working several part-times jobs and meeting confidants. You really should take some time off.”

Akira sighed and looked up at his furry friend. “You know how much she wants to finish that new medicine for Miwa-chan. I don’t want to disappoint her.”

“Fine, but don’t expect me to wake you up gently tomorrow morning for school.”

“It won’t take long, and I promise to go to bed early tonight, alright?” The look Morgana gave him was still not an approving one.

“How about we go grab sushi afterwards? I’m sure some conveyor belt sushi places in Shibuya will still be open.” The non-cat perked up, the glint in his eye told Akira his new tactics was working.

“Sushi!? Do you mean that!?”

“Sure,” Akira shrugged, regretting instantly at the pain coursing through his shoulder, and continued, “Clinics, sushi, and then bed. Deal?”

“Deal! But I want me some extra fatty tuna!”

——

“You look worn out.” Tae tsk-tsked at the raven-haired teenager as a greeting.

“Good afternoon to you too, Takemi-sensei.”

“I thought I told you to look after yourself. I need my guinea pig in top condition for the clinical trial to work.” The doctor had meant to sound annoyed, but it came out more worried than anything.

“I’m fine, Sensei. Really. Shall we begin?”

Tae made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. She stood up from the reception chair, rounded the counter and opened the door to the consultation room. “Come on in then.”

Akira settled down on the edge of the examination bed, his duffel bag (with Morgana hiding in it) placed by the wall. He watched as the doctor took something out of a medicine cabinet and sat cross legged on the swivel chair opposite the bed.

“Here, drink this.” Akira scrutinized the bottle. It was a small cylindrical container filled with clear liquid.

“Looks different from the previous ones.”

“Are you a doctor now, guinea pig?” Tae raised an eyebrow. “I made some amendments based on those results. Now drink it and lie down before you pass out on the floor. I can’t carry you up by myself, you know.”

With a shrug, Akira dutifully drank the content in one gulp. To his relief, the taste was milder than usual, a little on the bitter side but lacking any pungent smell, and he didn’t pass out immediately like the other times. At Tae’s nod at the bed, he lied down to make himself comfortable. Soon enough, he felt his eyelids growing heavy and drifted into unconsciousness.

Morgana, staying silent this whole time, could hear the even breathing of his friend. He had tried to take a nap, but the air inside the bag was too stuffy, so he ventured poking his head out to take a peek and was surprised to meet the intense gaze of the doctor. After a moment, Tae’s gaze softened and gestured at the bed with her clipboard.

“Come on out, kitty. I don’t mind. Your owner won’t wake up at least for another few hours.”

The non-feline gave her his cutest meow and stepped out, to which the doctor answered with a small smile before diverting her attention to writing on the clipboard. Morgana took this opportunity to observe his unconscious friend. Normally the medicine would knock Akira out instantly, and then he would wake up a few minutes later only to be in a delirious state, sometimes mumbling incoherent sentences or simply staring into the distance with unfocused eyes, before sliding back into restless oblivion.

Anything but his current peaceful, deep slumber.

“What’s he been up to lately, huh? Looks like death warmed over…” Tae muttered as she wrote something down on the clipboard. Morgana knew the doctor wasn’t expecting an answer, especially not from him, so he carefully hopped onto the desk, wary not to knock over anything in the process. She didn’t seem to mind, and he peeked at her notes, curious to see how the experiment had been going. Except what she just wrote wasn’t about the new medicine’s progress. Morgana gaped at the latest entry.

_Clinical trial for medicine variation 4.2 put on hold for a week due to guinea pig’s subpar health condition. Possibly induced by stress and physical exhaustion. Sleeping medicine in liquid form prescribed._

Wait, did she just lie to Akira? Did she _drug_ him!?

Morgana stared at the doctor with wide eyes, the latter unfazed by the attention and seemingly deep in thought. So apparently, Takemi-sensei had given Akira sleeping medicine instead of the one on trial. No wonder his reaction was so different from previous tests.

The non-feline jumped back onto the bed to take a closer look at Akira. Thankfully, he was still soundly asleep, his lips slightly apart and even snoring a bit.

At least the drug didn’t seem to be endangering his health. Well, Akira did need the rest anyway. Even Morgana was starting to get sleepy after today’s Mementos trip. The doctor had told the leader a white lie, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right? Morgana definitely wasn’t going to tell him about that.

The non-cat watched his friend’s sleeping form for a while longer, and figured there was nothing else he could do but make himself comfortable. So he squeezed into the space between Akira’s arm and side, curled into a ball and closed his eyes.

Fatty tuna sushi could wait for another day, Morgana supposed.


	2. Big Bang

“I simply don’t understand why anyone’d want to do that.”

“It’s fun.” Akira gave a playful shrug. Morgana snorted, or as close to a snort as a cat could manage.

“You call stuffing a gigantic burger tower into your stomach in less than thirty minutes fun?”

“I recall you doing similar thing that time Haru treated us to a buffet. You wouldn’t stop gulping down fatty tuna. We had to drag you away.”

“B-But fatty tuna actually tastes delicious!” Akira raised his eyebrows at the retort.

“And Big Bang burger doesn’t? Don’t let Haru hear you say that.”

“Burger’s just…well they’re not fatty tuna!”

The teenager let out an amused sigh in an exaggerated way. “Whatever you say, Morgana. But I’m taking the Cosmo Tower Challenge today whether you approve or not.”

The non-feline shook his head. “Sometimes I just don’t understand you and your self-destructive impulse, Akira. For a smart guy, you sure make a lot of dump decisions.”

——

**Akira:** [Photo attached]

 **Futaba:** nooooo waaaaaaay

 **Ryuji:** you did it!?

 **Haru:** Oh my!!

 **Ann:** really???

 **Makoto:** Please tell me you didn’t…

 **Akira:** I did

 **Akira:** Morgana can vouch for me

 **Yusuke:** May I ask what this is and what Akira did?

 **Futaba:** really Inari ( ￢ _ ￢ ;)

 **Futaba:** where have you been living all this time

 **Haru:** That’s the Captain Badge for winning the top Big Bang Burger Challenge!

 **Yusuke:** Oh, I see.

 **Yusuke:** Then let me offer you my congratulations on your splendid accomplishment, Leader!

 **Haru:** I’m so proud of you, Akira-kun!

 **Akira:** Thanks :D

 **Ann:** OMG I’d have PAID to see that

 **Ann:** please tell me you recorded a video

 **Akira:** Regrettably no…

 **Ann:** :(

 **Futaba:** I can hack into the security footage

 **Ryuji:** YES DO IT

 **Makoto:** No Futaba!

 **Haru:** Futaba-chan please don’t do that!

 **Haru:** I can just ask for it via a propel channel. It’s my company after all~~~

 **Futaba:** but that’s no fun (´・ω・`)

 **Ryuji:** dude I tried that challenge a few times

 **Ryuji:** only got 2nd mate badge

 **Ryuji:** yadda 1st person I know to clear cosmo tower!!

 **Akira:** Well I’m not your leader for nothing ;)

 **Futaba:** there is our joker everyone

 **Futaba:** I can see his cocky smirk from here LOL

“You just had to show off, didn’t you?” Morgana looked up from the phone to Akira, who as expected, had Joker’s signature smug expression plastered to his face.

Even so, Morgana had to admit what the teenager did was pretty impressive. He recalled watching Akira munching on the burger tower layer by layer in a non-hurried pace, alternating between chewing and sipping water, and it slowly but steadily diminished in height. Akira seemed calm and unfazed during that whole time, the only sign of stress he showed was the beads of sweat trickling down his jaw towards the end. At last the leader managed to tackle the mass, with even a few minutes to spare.

**Makoto:** Are you feeling alright though?

 **Makoto:** I mean you did eat the entire thing all by yourself. I can’t imagine what it did to your stomach.

 **Akira:** Honestly?

 **Akira:** Not so good

 **Akira:** Feel like I’m gonna be sick every time I think of food

Again, it wasn’t an exaggeration. Akira had claimed he was fine on their way back home after the challenge, but Morgana could tell the leader was starting to feel unwell on the train, as he was quieter than usual and kept rubbing his chest as if to soothe his urge to throw up. Morgana also didn’t miss when they stepped into LeBlanc greeted by the rich aroma of coffee and curry, how pale his friend’s face turned and how quickly he dashed upstairs to the attic. At the end of the day, it was a miracle he managed to keep everything inside his stomach.

It took a couple of days for Akira to recover his normal appetite, as on the third day’s morning Morgana came downstairs to find him sitting by the counter enjoying Sojiro’s coffee and curry.

“Finally feel like eating, kid?” Sojiro said.

Akira simply nodded, savoring the last bite of the curry he had missed so much.

“I was starting to get worried, ya know. You skipped meals yesterday and the day before. I was about to force you to get checked out by Takemi.”

Whatever reply Akira had was disrupted by the jingle of the doorbell and Yusuke walking through the front door. He greeted them and sat down on his usual spot closet to the _Sayuri_. Sojiro offered him curry, to which he politely declined by saying he felt rather full with the bean sprouts he just ate, and proceeded to admire the painting he came for. Akira finished his last sip of coffee, washed the dishes and went up to the attic, only to return a minute later with something in his hand.

“Here, Yusuke. This is for you.”

“Hmm? What is this?” Yusuke blinked at the small pile of cards his friend handed him. “‘Big Bang Burger – Free Coupon’?”

“It’s the prize I got aside from the Captain Badge, for completing the Cosmo Challenge,” Akira explained casually. “There are ten coupons in total. You can get a free burger set with each.” The confused look on Yusuke turned to comprehension and then something akin to horror and dismay.

“No, Akira, I can’t possibly–”

“Please, I don’t think I’ll ever want to eat burger in the foreseeable future. You’ll be doing me a favor.”

After a moment of hesitation, the lanky boy gave in and nodded with a grateful smile. “Thank you. I appreciate your generosity. I will make sure they don’t go to waste.”

“So you went through all the trouble just to get Yusuke some free meal tickets,” Morgana commented after their friend had left. “Why don’t you just treat him a meal? You could’ve saved yourself a life of misery.”

“You know how Yusuke is,” said Akira without looking up from the large pot of curry he was helping Sojiro prepare for tomorrow. “He’d rather spend all the money on art supplies than on food, and he declines every time we offer to pay for him. He doesn’t want to be treated like a charity case and I respect that.” He continued to stir the pot.

“Besides, I’d been meaning to give the Cosmo Tower a try since I came to Tokyo. It was really fun!”

Staring at his juvenile expression, Morgana let out a long sigh. He supposed the leader and his self-destructive impulse weren’t so hard to understand, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me your thoughts? :)


	3. Runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chronologically this chapter happens before the event of chapter 2, but for the sake of the story flow I decided to put it here instead.

It had been two days since Morgana had a heated argument with Ryuji during a Phantom Thieves meeting and left the group. A group he’d been a part of since the very beginning.

That same night after the fight, Morgana attempted to infiltrate Kunikazu Okumura’s Palace by himself, and things did not end well, to say the least. It wasn’t long before he was surrounded by Shadows and knocked down. If that Haru girl didn’t show up, he wasn’t sure he could make it out alive.

It turned out Haru was not only a rookie Persona user, but also the heir to Okumura Foods and the only daughter of the CEO, aka the ruler of the very palace Morgana was targeting. Whether it was fate or luck that led the young lady to him, he wouldn’t know, or complain. After all, the little thief would need all the help he could get if he were to change Okumura’s distorted heart without the rest of the team.

Besides, Haru was a really kind person. After rescuing him from the palace, she had welcomed Morgana to her roomy house, given him nice food (not those canned ones, thank god), tended to his wounds, and even let him sleep in her soft bed with her.

But as comfortable as the bed was, sleep didn’t come easy to Morgana that night. The bed just didn’t feel or smell the same as the one he used to sleep on. Not to mention a certain black-haired teenager’s face kept popping into his brain whenever he closed his eyes.

_Fine, I’ll take a nap when Haru is off to school tomorrow. It’s not like I can hide in her bag and go to class with her anyway._

The next morning and afternoon passed in a blur, with Morgana catching up on sleep he didn’t get the night before. After Haru returned from school, they headed for the palace once again. The place’s security, however, was as tight as ever and with just the two of them, especially since Haru was still new to the whole Persona business, progress was painstakingly slow. Morgana could sense the great potential in her Persona, but she simply had no idea how to utilize her newfound power. With frustration and reluctance, the non-cat called it a day.

Back at Haru’s house, Morgana taught her more about how to handle herself in the Metaverse and went over the plan once again, but that didn’t take much time since they were stuck pretty much at the beginning of the palace.

With nothing better to do, they decided to go to bed early, even though both of them were too wound up to fall into sleep.

“Do you miss home, Mona-chan?” came Haru’s whisper in the dark.

“Yeah…” The word escaped his mouth like a reflex. He didn’t realized until this moment that he had thought of the dusty attic above LeBlanc as his home. A place where he had been living with Akira for the past six months.

They said nothing more after that. Morgana gazed out of the window at the night sky until sleep arrived.

In the following night, Haru had school assignments she needed to finish and couldn’t go into the Metaverse. As much as he adored the young lady, Morgana didn’t want to stay in the quiet house all night, so he ended up wandering alone around the city. Before he knew it, it was nearly midnight and his little feet had carried him to a familiar street, Yongen-Jaya.

And all of a sudden he had this urge to go and check up on his friend.

A short visit wouldn’t hurt, right…? It wasn’t like he had a fight with Akira. He wasn’t mad at the leader, or Lady Ann, or the rest of the group except for that big-mouthed Ryuji…or maybe not even him, if Morgana was honest to himself.

He was mad at himself. For not being more useful to the team and not being able to remember his past.

Even though Morgana had always boasted about being the know-it-all of the Metaverse, he knew he was being a shitty Phantom Thief lately. Ryuji might be rude, but he was not wrong saying Morgana was useless; even the introverted Futaba was doing a better job as a navigator than he was. The only thing Morgana was good at was being a cat mascot in the real world and a means of transportation in the Metaverse.

Shame and insecurity flare up in his stomach, and suddenly Morgana didn’t want to face the leader. Akira had probably gone to bed at this hour anyway. There was no point in barging in and disrupting his sleep.

Or…or maybe he could just take a peek from outside the window before leaving…? He would be quick and quiet, and the leader wouldn’t noticed him at all.

_Yeah, that’ll do._

So Morgana hurried to the back of the building, climbed up the water pipes leading to the second floor, landed on a beam just outside the windows and peeked inside.

He expected to find Akira already asleep, but to his surprise, the attic was dimly lit. The teenager was in his short-sleeved loungewear sitting on the sofa. His phone was in his hand, yet no attention was given to it; he was staring absentmindedly at a corner of the room.

_Of course he’s staying up late when I’m not around._

He wanted to go in and tell the boy to go to bed already. But no, that wasn’t what he came here to do. And he didn’t think he could bring himself to leave after speaking to him.

So Morgana found a spot where his little figure was well hidden in the shadows, and watched his friend from afar.

Akira looked tired and…sad. The dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than usual. It was an expression Morgana had never seen on the teenage boy.

_Could he be…missing me?_

The non-cat continued to watch as the raven-haired teenager stayed in the spot, alternating between scrolling through his phone, zoning out and sighing, the dejected expression never left his face.

By one past midnight, Akira finally switched off the light and went to bed. He seemed restless at first, tossing and turning every other several minutes. Another hour had passed by the time he fell asleep.

Morgana carefully leapt onto the windowsill. He looked down at the sleeping figure, and noticed the goose bumps on his bare arms. The blanket was tossed to the bedside, only covering one of his legs. It was still mid-September but the early morning chill and occasional cool breezes were enough to make one shiver and catch a cold.

Morgana sighed.

_Does he not know how to take care of himself?_

He sneaked into the room and moved to the bed. Using his teeth to bite down the blanket corner, he slowly dragged it across Akira’s body, mindful not to wake him up in the process. The slumbering teenager stirred once, but thankfully didn’t come to. After a lot of maneuver, the non-feline managed to drape the blanket over his friend to properly cover his whole body.

His teeth and jaw were sore by then, and he felt dozy all of a sudden. Neither the idea of walking all the way back to Haru’s house or spending the night outside sounded appealing.

After some hesitation, Morgana came to the conclusion that he might as well spend the night here. He just had to leave before Akira woke up. That shouldn’t be hard; being in a cat form, he was used to sleeping with half-open eyes to stay on alert.

So he padded to the end of the bed, settled down and curled up, his back slightly touching Akira’s foot under the blanket.

Sleep came to him much sooner than the previous nights.

——

A few hours later at sunrise, Morgana was woken by a slight movement. He lifted his head and saw Akira started to stir, but before his friend opened his eyes Morgana was already out through the window.

He perched himself on a spot where he was sure was out of sight and took a moment to observe the teenager. Akira had sat up and was gazing at the spot the non-feline had been curled up in just a moment earlier, as if he could sense his presence. Yet, his grey eyes were clouded with sorrow and disappointment just like the night before.

Allowing himself one last glance at his friend, Morgana leapt off and left home.

For now, he and the Okumura girl had a palace to conquer. And when it was done, he’d come back to watch over his human again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, you may find me at at twitter by the name of "hanashiipu" if you ever want to chat. ;)


	4. Close Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for depiction of blood and injuries in this chapter.

It all happened when the Phantom Thieves were exploring Sae Niijima’s casino palace.

They were on the Member’s Floor. The Shadow at the counter had told them in order to gain access to the next floor, they’d need 50,000 coins to buy a high limit card, which would take _ages_ to earn if they were to continue at this speed. Lucky for them, there was a massive slot machine that gave out the exact amount as a jackpot, bringing on the search for three terminals linked to the machine in an attempt to rig the game and win the grand prize.

The party of nine located the first terminal after some rummaging. To save time, they decided to divide into two groups to hunt for the remaining two – Joker took Crow, Skull and Mona, while Queen led Fox, Panther, Noir and Oracle. It didn’t take long before the first team located a green terminal, thanks to Joker’s third eye ability, mounted on the wall of a storage room down the hallway.

“Oracle, we found the second terminal.” Akira informed the navigator through the communication channel she’d set up earlier.

“Already!?” Futaba grumbled. “Thought I’d beat you to it…wait, you used your third eye, didn’t you!?”

“You didn’t say I couldn’t.” Joker’s trademark smirk was on full display, even though the girl couldn’t see it.

“Joker you sly dog!”

“I’m more of a cat and you know it,” Akira quipped, and continued before she could argue further. “Now how do we hack it?” With a huff, Futaba instructed him to push a few buttons on the terminal panel.

“The reprogramming will take a few minutes. After it beeps and the green light turns off, you’re good to leave.”

“Got it. How’s your end?”

“We–oh hold on, I think Queen’s onto something.” Akira could hear the other team talking in the background. “Yep, she just found it!”

“Alright, do your work. We’ll meet you back in the safe room.”

“Aye aye, Captain!” The channel was then closed.

“We can head back once the green light’s off.” The leader turned around to address his three teammates, who nodded in agreement.

With no better things to do, Akira reactivated his third eye vision to take another look across the room. They might have missed a hidden treasure or something. A quick sweep told him nothing was out of place though. Morgana and Skull were standing by a large glass panel, chatting while overlooking the casino’s lower level. Akechi was silently leaning against the wall on the other side, his arms crossed over his chest.

Then there was the beeping sound they were waiting for. Just as Akira was about to turn his attention back to the terminal, he noticed movement in the ceiling from the corner of his eye. But before he could take a better look, a Shadow suddenly burst from the shaft above Akechi, with a sword drawn and directed against the detective.

There was no time to warn him. Akira dashed forward and pushed him to the side, and swiftly deflected the fatal strike with his own dagger, following up with a slit to the enemy’s throat for an instant kill. The position, however, left his backside vulnerable for attack, as a second assassin chose this moment to barge in from the door at full speed. Akira heard a sickening sound before he felt a sharp blade went straight through his left shoulder from behind. Pain blossomed at his back and chest, and he couldn’t hold back a groan in agony.

“Joker!” Morgana and Ryuji hollered in unison from across the room. They would have rushed to their leader’s rescue if they weren’t occupied by several Shadows who’d just broken in through the glass panel.

Akechi, recovered from his initial shock of the ambush, had pulled out his lightsaber to fight another two Shadows descended from the shaft. Like Morgana and Ryuji, his attempt to get to Akira was futile with the advancing enemies.

Akira tried to move, to turn around and face his assaulter, but the sword cutting through him held him firmly in place. He knew the Shadow was standing close behind him; he could feel its breath on his neck as it snickered vilely. Ignoring the blinding pain in his left shoulder, Akira swiveled the dagger in his right hand around and pushed it backwards under his arm. When he felt it cutting into flesh and heard the foe’s anguished groan, he pushed the blade in further before giving it a twist. With a scream in pain, the Shadow and its sword vanished into black smoke.

The pressure on Akira’s shoulder was gone immediately, but with nothing to block his wound entries, pain exploded and blood started to pour out. His vision went blurry and his legs gave out.

Alarmed by their leader’s collapse, the two thieves and detective hurried themselves to finish the fight. Ryuji killed the enemy before him with a lightning spell, and was the first to rush to Akira’s side.

“Joker?! JOKER!”

Akira was lying on his back, breathing ragged, his face pale and screwed up in agony. Streams of blood continued to spill from his gaping shoulder, quickly soaking through his coat and dripping down onto the floor. Eyes widen in horror, the blonde carefully lifted him up, pressing one hand on the back wound and another on the front hoping to stop the bleeding, but the motion only elicited another pained cry from his friend.

“Mona, heal him!” Skull shouted at the feline member, who had just given a final blow to the last Shadow and was hastening to their side. Akechi, on the other hand, stood frozen on the spot, staring at the scene with shock. The lightsaber in his hand was dripping with black blood from the Shadows he slayed.

“I know! Just give me a sec!” Morgana had already summoned up Zorro, and wasted no time in casting the strongest healing spell he had on the wounds. Green aura emitted from his paws enveloped Akira’s upper body. They watched as the bleeding slowed down and stopped completely as the gashes closed, leaving behind an ugly bruise and crimson fluid. His anguished expression and labored breathing gradually evened out.

Akira pried open his eyes, which were met with the worried faces of his friends. He pressed his hand onto his injured shoulder. The blinding pain was gone, instead there was a dull ache.

Morgana let out a massive sigh of relief, so did Ryuji, who helped him sit up slowly. “…Man, you scared the crap out of us…Don’t do that again!”

“…Sorry,” the leader said with a wince.

He still felt lightheaded, probably because of the blood loss. That was the downside of healing spells – they could heal injuries fine, but not replenish the blood drained. In any case, it was thanks to Morgana that he wasn’t bleeding to death, so he turned to the non-feline. “Thanks, Mona.”

“I’d rather you not throw yourself into fire than thanking me,” said Morgana, grimacing. “That was way too close.” He didn’t dare to think how much worse Akira’s condition would be if they were to finish the battle a minute later. There was just so much blood. The blood loss alone could’ve killed him even the wounds were healed by a spell.

“I wasn’t worried at all – I knew you guys had my back.” Akira stood up and half-smirked, a hint of Joker’s usual playfulness gleaming through as he tried to lighten the mood. Morgana usually liked this confident side of his friend, but right now he wanted to smack the smugness out of his face. It was still pretty pale compared with the crimson red staining Ryuji’s yellow gloves and the stark white floor.

Apparently Morgana wasn’t the only one unsettled by the easy façade Akira put on after such as close call, as Akechi suddenly snapped out of his stupor. He stepped forward in a furious rush, gripped Akira’s coat collar and snarled. “What were you _thinking_ rushing in like that!? Do you have a death wish!?”

Caught off guard by the outburst, Akira was at a loss for words.

“Hey back off!” Ryuji fumed, pushed the detective away. “He just saved your ass!”

“Skull–”

“I don’t need saving! I can handle myself _fine_!”

“Maybe you can, maybe you can’t!” Skull was seething with rage. “But Joker saw his teammate in danger and acted on his instinct–no, no you’re not even on the team! You threatened to expose us and he chose to defend you all the same! Will a little gratitude kill you?!”

The leader would have caught Akechi’s change in expression if he weren’t so stunned and touched by Ryuji’s defense on his behalf. Morgana kept his watch on the detective’s face though, and noticed how his initial anger faltered into shock, then something resembling self-reproach, if only for a mere second. Then, he drew in a deep breath, and his Detective Prince demeanor was back in place.

“I apologize, Joker.” His face and voice were calm and measured again. “It was ungrateful of me to talk to you like that. Thank you for saving my life.”

Akira held his gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Don’t worry about it, Crow.” If he’d discerned the detective’s unease beneath the mask, he didn’t point it out.

Ryuji, on the other hand, looked like he was about to protest, but the leader held up his hand in a placating gesture, so he kept his mouth shut. Tense silence filled the room, and that was when Futaba’s voice came on the communication channel.

“Guys, where are you? We’re at the safe room and didn’t see you.”

Akira cleared his throat and said, “We’re heading back right now.”

“Is everything alright?” Makoto spoke up on the other end, sensing something was going on.

“Just a little hiccups. Nothing to worry,” Akira reassured her. “See you soon.” Then he closed the channel. “Let’s head back and find the others.”

None of them felt like talking much on their way back. Ryuji insisted on taking the lead, ready to protect the leader, still a little unsteady from the earlier ordeal, from any oncoming Shadows. Morgana stayed close by Akira’s side, occasionally glancing back at Akechi, who was quietly following behind with a distance.

Once they were back at the safe room, the other members immediately noticed the bruise on Akira’s shoulder through his torn coat and the blood stain on Ryuji’s gloves. Akira brushed off their concern, saying the injury wasn’t bad and Morgana healed him perfectly, yet leaving out the reason behind the incident and Akechi’s outburst. They didn’t buy his words though, unanimously vetoing on his suggestion of continuing the palace exploration and insisting on calling it a day so that the leader could get his strength back first.

As the team fussed over their leader, Morgana stole another peek at Akechi and caught his troubled expression with a hint of guilt.

Could Akechi be feeling guilty about getting Akira hurt? Morgana didn’t think it was possible. The traitor-to-be was going to have him murdered in a couple of weeks.

Yet, his earlier reaction didn’t seem like an act either. The rage and concern he showed couldn’t possibly be faked, not even by someone as good an actor as he was. What it looked like was genuine emotions, a crack in the impeccable façade the Detective Prince put on.

Either way, Morgana would keep an extra eye out for possible complications. The plan was already set in motion, and they couldn’t afford anything that might jeopardize it.

Akira’s life depended on it, after all.


	5. Changing Hearts

Ever since Akira was released from juvie, his friends and confidants had been swamping him with hang-outs and celebrations, pampering him with concern and attention, as if to make up for the time he spent isolated in solitary confinement. So it was nearly two weeks later when he was finally able to have a low-key, quiet day lounging in the attic alone. (Maybe not _entirely_ alone because Morgana was there too, but it was as alone as he could get since the feline was always there.)

But then he realized he hadn’t really spent much quality time with his guardian, or helped out in LeBlanc lately. Not that Sojiro needed much assistance; business in the café had been slow these days. In fact, Boss didn’t say a word even when Morgana took a nap on one of the bar stools during opening hours, since there was no customer present to witness it.

Anyway, Akira figured he would just get bored and restless if he stayed cooped up in the attic all day, so he came downstairs to offer help to Boss. The lack of customers, though, meant there wasn’t really much to do and he ended up with the dish duty. That was when Sojiro, standing behind the counter making coffee, broached the subject.

“So, you’re going back to your hometown in less than a month.” The tone Sojiro said it in made it hard to tell whether it was a question or a statement.

“…Yeah,” Akira said after a moment. He had been trying hard to avoid thinking of his imminent departure.

“What’s the plan after you got back?”

He hesitated, before answering without lifting his head, “My parents want me to finish high school in my old school. After that, they said they’d prefer me enrolling in a local college nearby, that way I can help out their grocery store whenever I can.” He recalled the brief phone conversation with his parents two days after his release and his criminal record was cleared. They didn’t exactly apologize for not believing in or contacting him for the past year, but they did express they wanted him back home after his probation ended. Not exactly a touching phone call, but that was certainly better than them not on speaking terms, Akira supposed.

“The business isn’t something big, but it’s important to them, and they want me to continue to help out after I graduate, maybe even run it for them someday.”

“Huh.” Sojiro raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like they had it all laid out for you.”

A soft, rueful chuckle escaped his lips. “Hmm, lucky me.”

Silence dragged on for a moment, before the owner spoke up again. “I don’t mean to put a damper on things but, you don’t sound particularly thrilled about the plan. Or their plan, should I say.”

Akira’s hands halted. “I…” he started, and then stopped himself. After a while, he said in an uncertain voice, “It’s the right thing to do.”

Sojiro was now leaning sideway on the counter, arms folded over his chest. “Is it what you want to do though?” He didn’t miss how Akira’s shoulder tensed at the question.

The teenager opened his mouth, then closed it, before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter what I want.” Then he resumed the dish washing, movement much slower than before.

Sojiro sighed. He knew it’d be hard to get through the kid’s stubborn skull. “…Akira, believe me when I say this: you’ve earned every right to choose your future path,” he said, gentle yet firm. “Especially after spending the last year risking your life to save the humanity from an evil god.”

Akira bit his lip and didn’t say a word. Sojiro could see his internal struggle, and figured this wasn’t the time to press the issue. Not yet, at least. So instead he said, “Listen…if you ever wanna come back to Tokyo for college, or if you choose to finish high school in Shujin in the end, you don’t have to worry about accommodation.”

That got another reaction from the dark-haired teen, as he stopped again and finally lifted his head.

“There’s, ah, always a place here for you to stay. It’s not like I got other use for the roomy attic anyway. And I’m sure Futaba’s more than happy to have you here…” Sojiro scratched the back of his head. “Um, so am I, just so you know.”

Another moment of silence, then the teenager gave a small nod, and said in a slightly croaked voice. “…Thank you, Sojiro.” He was still facing the other way, so Sojiro could only see the side of his face, but he still got a glimpse of his grateful smile, however small it was.

Akira lowered his head again, got back to washing the dishes. And Sojiro turned his attention back to making coffee, as peaceful silence filled the café.

——

“So, I overheard your conversation with Boss today,” Morgana said as he jumped onto the bed in the attic.

Akira, changing into his sleep wear, hummed noncommittally in response.

“He’s right, you know.” The non-feline watched as his friend put the cloth he just took off into the laundry bag. “You don’t have to go back to your hometown just because your parents want you to. You’re free to choose your own path.”

Akira turned around, a hint of nervousness in his eyes. “Morgana, do you…want to come with me if I go back to Inaba?” His voice took a melancholic shade. “You won’t be seeing Ann and the others if you do…so I understand if you prefer to stay here in Tokyo. I’m sure Futaba will be glad to take you.”

Morgana resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Are you kidding? Of course I want to go with you!” The teenager visibly relaxed at his answer, and sat down on the mattress. “Because your shoulder’s the most comfortable to perch on, not to mention Futaba’s too tiny to carry me around!” That brought a warm smile to Akira’s face.

“Even now you’re asking what _I_ want. Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that? You’re the one whose future’s on the line.”

“I must warn you – there’s not much to do or see in Inaba. It’s really boring.”

“Nothing is ever boring with you around, Joker.”

Akira chuckled. “Touché.”

“And you didn’t answer my question. Is there something _you_ want to do?”

The raven-haired boy hesitated for a moment, looking contemplative. “…There is.”

Morgana’s ears perked up instantly. “Tell me.”

He sighed. “Promise you won’t laugh?” Morgana gave a nod of agreement.

“I haven’t told anyone about this,” he said quietly. “The fact is the thought didn’t occur to me until recently…I had a lot of free time to think during those ten days in solitary confinement.” Morgana watched closely as Akira fiddled with his bangs with his thumb and index finger. “I...I want to study psychology and counseling in college.”

Morgana slightly tilted his head. “So…you want to become a psychologist or something?”

“I want to become a therapist. A mental health counselor.”

“...A therapist?” He blinked. “Like Maruki?”

Akira nodded.

The non-cat gaped. “I thought after the whole Maruki ordeal you’d never want to come near any therapist, let alone becoming one.”

“That’s what I thought at first. But thinking back to those counseling sessions with Maruki, he did give some good advice and helped me sort out my emotions. To tell the truth, I actually enjoyed talking to him.” At Morgana’s skeptical look, he continued to explain, “He was friendly, supportive, a great listener. Even Sumire said she wasn’t sure she’d be able to carry on after her sister’s accident if Maruki wasn’t there to talk her through it.”

“Mmm…I suppose he wasn’t entirely a bad guy.”

“Yeah.” Akira leaned back on the windowsill, staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look. “His method was wrong, but his intention was good.”

There was a moment of silence, then Akira said, “I’m sure there’re lots of people out there just like Sumire, or even me, who need someone to listen to them with more than their ears. To get them through difficult times.” His lips curled into a grin. “Besides, all of my friends like confiding in me about their problems. Everyone says I’m a good listener.”

Morgana snorted. “You are. You’re a natural.” He was always amazed by how a quiet guy like Akira would become such a people magnet. May be it was one of the inherent traits of the Trickster?

“So I figure, why not make a living from it? Becoming a therapist might be my true calling.”

Morgana sighed. “And here I thought you’ve finally learned to stop worrying about others and put yourself first.”

“I _am_ putting myself first. I enjoy talking to and helping people. This is what I _want_ to do.” He lowered his head, and continued in a softer voice. “It makes me feel…needed.”

The non-feline let out another sigh, then shook his head. “You and your savior complex.” That brought out an amused expression from the teenager.

Morgana had to admit, this sounded exactly like the leader he knew. Akira’d always had this urge to reach out to people in need. He’d do everything he could to make the lives of others easier, even if it meant troubling and endangering himself. For the past year, Morgana had been fortunate (unfortunate?) to have a front-row seat of witnessing him throwing himself on the line to protect not just his friends and family, but sometimes his enemies as well. It was a habit ingrained in his blood. The core of his personality.

Morgana supposed the prospective career choice was a step up for the young man. At least a therapist wasn’t a dangerous job – he wouldn’t have to fight Shadows or shoot a god in the face while hearing people rant on about stuff.

“Anyway, you should talk to Boss. _And_ your parents.” Morgana looked Akira in the eyes, voice firm. “Tell them what you just told me. If you want to help people with words, you should start with yourself. Speak up your true feelings.”

Akira stared at the non-cat in surprise, and then slowly, a fond smile appeared. “Yeah. Yeah you’re right. I’ll do that.”

“That’s a deal! And before you ask again: whatever you decide to do in the end, I’ll go where you go. Don’t think you can get rid of me so easily!”

Akira suddenly picked him up into a tight hug, his face buried in his furry head.

“H-Hey! What’re you–” he protested.

“Thank you, Morgana.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For always staying by my side and listening to me,” said Akira, without raising his head. “You may not know it, but you’ve been my personal cat therapist this whole time.”

“But I’m NOT a cat!” The non-feline complained loudly, voice muffled by Akira’s shirt. “Now let go of me already!” With another squeeze, he finally put him down. Morgana noticed unshed tears in his grey eyes before the teenager averted his gaze.

“Well…cat therapist sounds kinda cool, I suppose,” said Morgana. “I don’t mind becoming one.” Then, he stood on his hind legs, and with his front paws on Akira’s shoulder, gave him a head bump.

The Phantom Thieves of Hearts was disbanded. Even though their Personas still resided deep in their hearts, the Metaverse was forever gone, so were their powers, meaning there was no more Shadow fighting, no means to change the distorted hearts of evil adults anymore.

Yet maybe, just maybe, Akira Kurusu could continue to change people’s hearts in the real world. It surely would be different from their usual method, and it might not always work. But either way, Morgana would be there by his side every step of the way.

Who knows? With their combined good looks and charm, the two of them might even become the most popular therapeutic duo in town!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes my very first multi-chapter fic. Even though it isn’t really that long and it’s more of a snippet ensemble, I’m still proud of myself for finishing it! I hope you enjoyed it too :)
> 
> I was stuck for a while deciding Akira’s future career choice. I nearly went for the popular politician path because it really seemed like something he’d do in canon, but then the therapist idea came into my head and I just had to write it! And now I can’t get the image of him wearing a doctor’s coat out of my head…lol
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated<3


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